Oh boy, what a day. Lockdown Sundays are the worst in no small part because of the way I react to them. Which is basically just being flat out unmotivated. Nope, couldn’t even be bothered to post my usual drivel here at LTG.
Anyway, I tried to make the best of it. Downloaded Stephen King’s The Stand. I made it through the first two hours before the beer kicked in and I lost interest. I’ll get back to it though, I’m sure. I was always a big King fan, although these days his politics get on my nerves. I read The Stand when it was first published way back when then I read it again when the expanded version (much better IMO) came out. The film version (made for television) was released in 1994. I’m sure I saw it but honestly didn’t remember it much. What stood out was seeing people like Molly Ringwald and Rob Lowe back when they were in their prime. Molly has a sweet “girl next door” look about her that I find attractive. Not bad for a white girl.
After pausing the movie I actually hung out with my Filipino neighbors in the back yard for a while. First time I’d done that. And yes, drinking was involved. The conversations were mostly in Tagalog so I didn’t have much participation but it was an okay change of pace.
Later that night things went to shit big time. I’m still processing that event and I’m not prepared to write about it here. Suffice to say it was the worst experience I’ve had in a very long time.
I really, really need to get off my ass and start taking steps to make some positive changes in my life. I’ve been in a “satisficing” mode for too long and to my own detriment. I believe I deserve better but it’s up to me to make that happen.
Ah well, going to Hash today and maybe that will help clear my head. Or drown my sorrows.
No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.
That’s about as good as it’s gonna get around here today. Another lockdown weekend starting at 2:00 today. Complaining won’t change that fact, so maybe I can try to learn something. This short video explaining Jean-Paul Sartre’s ideas on mauvasie foi was my first exposure (that I recall anyway) to this philosophy:
Yeah, I know he was a commie, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Plus, I got to learn a little more French!
Speaking of which, if you missed it in the comments to yesterday’s post, Kevin Kim gave a brief history of the origin of the word Flotsam.
Yeah, the “flot” root is a clue that flotsam floats. Jetsam might or might not be debris that washes ashore, but it’s usually thrown overboard. For French speakers, it’s easy to remember that the verb flotter means “to float” and jeter means “to throw,” so a “franglais” mnemonic would be that flotsam always floats while jetsam is cast (i.e., thrown) away—maybe to float, maybe to wash ashore.
English words sometimes change to more clearly reflect their ancient roots. For example, the verb “to float” contains an “a” next to the “o,” but that “a” drops off in the noun “flotation,” whose “flot” root brings us closer to the Latin original. Same goes for the “u” in “devour,” which drops off the -vor- (= consume) root in words like “carnivore” and “voracious.”
Good stuff!
I started the day early, getting up at 0500 and the full moon was there to greet me:
The sun was coming up in the east and the moon was setting outside my window.
I scrolled through my Facebook feed while enjoying my morning coffee. For some reason I couldn’t stop watching this:
They say there is someone for each of us. Hmm, come to think of it, maybe this is the guy from the video above AFTER his encounter with the cops.
Speaking of masks, that whole “it’s what’s inside that counts” belief is truer than ever.
You’ve been warned!
Nothing exciting to report from my morning walk, my standard trek around Barretto and down Baloy beach. Well, I did find this bench “interesting”:
I didn’t know whether to sit down or get off the pot… An old woman got a laugh when she saw me taking the photo though.
Speaking of walking, here are a couple more pictures from yesterday that Scott posted:
Wading around…The water did get up over my knees in places though…Kids being kids…
That’s about it from here for today. The steaks last night were about as tender as I’ve had here, although I did overcook them a tad (had a flaming grill to contend with). It’s been years and years since I’ve made spaghetti at home and that’s just what I intend to do now. Alas, no garlic bread though.
I’m not sure that Sartre would agree with this, but I pretty much take it on faith…
I don’t know any Bad Faith songs, but this is my favorite from Blind Faith:
As I walked along the water today looking at the various and sundry items that had washed ashore, the phrase “flotsam and jetsam” occurred to me. In a general sense, I knew what it meant but I wasn’t sure what the difference between the two terms actually was. I speculated that flotsam might be the crap on the beach, while jetsam was still floating offshore. When I got home I looked it up:
Flotsam is defined as debris in the water that was not deliberately thrown overboard, often as a result from a shipwreck or accident. Jetsam describes debris that was deliberately thrown overboard by a crew of a ship in distress, most often to lighten the ship’s load.
So, I guess I was wrong on all counts. I doubt any of the crap I saw today was thrown overboard, deliberately or otherwise. I am pretty sure it was all just old-fashioned litter–either tossed into a river to wash to the sea or left behind after a beach outing in typical Filipino fashion. But at least I learned something new today!
They say that love is where you find it, or perhaps where you leave it behind. This specimen on the beach made me wonder if the loss was deliberate or, um, heartfelt.I have no idea if this poor animal was a pet or a stray. It was so bloated I couldn’t tell for sure if it was a dog or a cat, but I’m guessing a dog. Now he or she is just another floater in the water, a sad ending indeed.
Restaurants are beginning to open back up under some pretty stringent general quarantine rules, most notably only seating up to 50% capacity. Still, I suppose half is better than none. I’m not going to go off on one of my rants about the idiocy of the government restrictions, I promise. But even under the lessened standards, these “leaders” keep doing really stupid shit. Like yesterday, almost a week into the modified quarantine, the powers that be changed the rules:
Even under the most relaxed form of community quarantine, the elderly, children, pregnant women, and persons with certain health conditions are prohibited from leaving their homes save for work or essential activities.
The national coronavirus task force made this change to the Omnibus Guidelines through its 43rd resolution, said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Thursday, June 4.
“The old guidelines said every household member is allowed to leave their homes [under modified general community quarantine]. There was an amendment. In Resolution No. 43, it remains that youths aged 21 years old and below, seniors 60 years old and above, can’t go out subject to exception of necessities and to work,” said Roque in Filipino.
I ignored those provisions previously and I will continue to do so now. It is just one more example of ignorance in action. It’s better in the Philippines!
Late afternoon yesterday found me beachside at “Goman’s” enjoying some nice cold beers:
And the bay views were sweet as well.
This morning my walking group decided we’d hike the beach from Barretto to the lighthouse at the entrance to the old Navy base.
Turns out it was high tide which made the going, well, a little rocky.See what I mean?Now what? Well, in the end, we found ourselves wading through the water.And once our shoes were wet wading across this stream was an easy choice. Not that we had an option.
But other than that, it wasn’t a bad hike.
Having achieved our goal, we had to decide how to get back home. I wanted to do the highway, and everyone else wanted to just reverse course and walk back the way we came.
I just didn’t feel like trudging through the sand and wading in the water again. So, I said my goodbyes and headed down the highway. I think the beach route is shorter but you can make better time on the highway. When I was about 2K from Barretto I glimpsed this out of the corner of my eye:
Wait a minute! That looks familiar!
I went over to take a closer look and sure enough, it was the homeless woman I call “mama”. I mentioned her previously on the blog. I’ve been throwing some pesos her way whenever I see her for several years now. But this is the first time I’ve seen her so far out of town. That old gal must get in more steps every day than I do!
Mama was sleeping as I approached, and when I woke her to give her some money I complimented her on picking such a nice shady spot with a good view for her nap. Like always, she smiled and said “thank you, papa”.
That encounter might have been the highlight of my walk.
Welp, here it is Friday night again (at least until the 7:00 p.m. curfew). And what’s a healthy old bugger like me to do but go out and look at the ocean some. That’s thirsty work, so I pull up a seat at “Goman’s” and quaff some brews. Then when I get back home I’ll grill up the steaks I’ve got marinating in the fridge.
It may not be much of a life, but it’s the best one I’ve got. Thanks for dropping by and letting me share it with you.
I need a crowd of people, but I can’t face them day to day, I need a crowd of people, but I can’t face them day to day. Though my problems are meaningless, that don’t make them go away. I need a crowd of people, but I can’t face them day to day.
Now I’m livin’ out here on the beach, but those seagulls are still out of reach.
‘Cause the world is turnin’, I hope it don’t turn away.
The only thing different about today’s post is some rusty old barbed wire.
What can I say that hasn’t been said before? I don’t know if this case of the blahs is being driven by the quarantine limitations or just my laziness and lack of imagination. But damn, if I’m getting bored writing about my so-called life it must be excruciating to read about it. You have my heartfelt condolences for that!
I could always write about politics and the insanity that is currently taking place back in my homeland. But honestly, others are doing that better than I ever could and I really, really don’t want to focus on all that drama from so far away. I can barely even look at my Facebook feed these days. My two cents is that if you can’t tell the difference between a protest and a riot you are either willfully ignorant or simply don’t know the difference between right and wrong. Sadly, the ones engaging in violence are making things worse by driving the people who need to come together to find solutions further apart. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
I guess in the category of “something different”, I watched a newly released Netflix movie called “The Wrong Missy”. I downloaded it because a friend back in Korea highly recommended it. I don’t. I’m no reviewer, but all I can say is that it was both mildly entertaining and somewhat irritating to watch. In fact, if you want to sample two minutes from the trailer you’ll get equal measures of both:
I’m also watching a film called “Colombiana”. By that I mean I started last night and got about halfway through before taking a break. I guess that’s a review of sorts, isn’t it? I do intend to finish the movie though. I didn’t know it was a French film until I went to get the Wikipedia link above. The best part of the movie by far is Zoe Zaldana, she is a real hottie.
What else have I got? Well, a few shots from yesterday’s hike if you please:
I wasn’t sure if this litter would prove to be an omen, but nothing else went ajar on the trail.Joining me were Jim and his gal Ann.And that old guy, Scott.Here I am going down…Through the valley…And going up the old dirt road…I had to give props for the creativity of this creek crossing… And of course, I spread around some sweetness for some of the kids we encountered.
Prior to the hike, I took my boys down to Baloy beach so they could enjoy some sun and sand.
I had a selfish motivation as well. Some of the restaurants are beginning to open up again on a limited basis, including Treasure Island. I had me a hankering for one of their breakfasts I used to enjoy on a regular basis. Alas, the owner told me the cook didn’t arrive until 9:00. Oh well, next time.
Have I posted this before?
I guess if a prisoner escaped by climbing down a rope that would be a con descending as well.
I’m looking for something like this too!
But then, one night leads to another…
And that’s just about all I’ve got for now. Well, there is this photo of Barrio Barretto pre-World War II.
And all these years later you still can find a bar for a cold refreshing adult beverage.
Things can always change. Perhaps one day I’ll long for the sameness I didn’t appreciate at the time.
Sorry to disappoint, but this is just another Hash post–COVID Run #3 to be precise.
It was another hot day, the trail was short but hard, and when I finished I was wet with sweat. So there’s your truth in advertising!
I opted for the shorter of the two trails but had a 3K walk to get to the starting point. 22 brave souls in attendance.Forward march!NOT the river Kwai.A natural tunnel of some sort…Farm life.Even when you are hot and tired it is somehow refreshing to be out and about in violation of quarantine restrictions communing with mother nature.The view of the day.Catching some shade.On-Home was once again at the private residence of Derelict. Our host. I don’t know Derek well, but he’s a nice enough guy. His health isn’t the best right now and he’s getting tested for possible cancer tomorrow. Wishing him well! The Harsh circle activities commence…Which is a socially acceptable reason to consume copious amounts of beer. And as my belly attests, I’ve been drinking way too much beer and not walking near enough to cancel out the repercussions.Okay, the Filipinas were HOT. The ice was cold and HARD. And of course, as the ice melted from those sweet asses, WET.
So, I guess I delivered what I promised in the title of this post after all!
Made it through yet another total lockdown Sunday. There’s something about not being able to do anything that makes me not want to do anything. Either that or I’m just lazy. Well, May is over and my resolution for June is to show some self-discipline and get back into my routines. My average daily step count is way down and I need to kick myself in the ass and put in the kilometers.
The day wasn’t a total loss as I did binge watch my way through the final season of Game of Thrones. I will share my thoughts on the ending in a future post, but the short version, for now, is (spoiler alert): BULLSHIT!
I’m pressed for time this morning because I’ll be participating in COVID Hash Run #3 today. The noon start time is a pain in the ass, especially since I’ll have a 45-minute hike to get to the meeting place. Well, I guess that’s one way to get the step count back up where it belongs. There was some controversy after last week’s Hash. I had already left for home so didn’t witness it, but apparently the Grandmaster got pissed because people were being too rowdy in the back of the Hashmobile on the ride back into town after the circle. He’s apparently resigned as a result so I’m not sure what is in store for today. Will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Today’s “interesting” photo comes from my morning dog walk. A new house is under construction in the neighborhood and I’ve got a bad feeling about the future.
I’ve only been here for two rainy seasons but I’ve seen lots of landslides. And the way they’ve cut into this hillside does not bode well in my humble opinion.
Maybe it’s just my warped sense of humor, but I found this quite funny:
You can say that again!
And oh yeah, does anyone not believe these worldwide quarantine measures are a bunch of crap? We need to go old school on this virus!
